Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



J. M. WH ITTE MORE.

lmprovementin Breech-Loading Fire-Arms.

Patented Oct-1,1872.

iwm.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

JAMES M. WHITTEMORE, OF AUGUSTA, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES M. WHITTEMORE, of Augusta, in the county ofKennebec and State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Breechdhoading Fire- Arms; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part ofthis specification, in which Figure 1 represents a side view of suchportions of a breech-loading fire-arm as are necessary to illustrate mypresent invention Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of a portionof the barrel and stock, and a side view of the various parts of thelock, the hammer being shown up against the rear end of the barrel; Fig.3 represents a similar view, with the hammer thrown back; Fig. 4represents a transverse section of the piece, showing the face of thedischarging-hammer; and Fig. 5 represents a transverse section, showingthe face of the recoil-block.

This invention relates to certain improvements in breech-loadingfire-arms, where the operation of the fire-arm is rendered more safe andefficient, as will be hereafter explained.

In the drawing, the parts marked A represent the barrel of the piece,the breech or rear end of which is suitably chambered to receive thecartridge B andhammer-face. .0 indicates the discharging-hammer, whichswings upon the spindle a, and is operated by the mainspring D, to whichits forward projectin g portion is joined by a link, I), as shown.Eindicates the locking-piece, which is hinged to the upper rear part ofthe hammer O by the spindle 0, whereby the locking-piece is allowed tomove or swing up and down for a short distance independent of the motionof the hammer. .F indicates the recoil-block, which receives thebackward pressure or recoil of the hammer when the piece is discharged.G indicates the cartridge-shell extractor, arranged through a mortise inthe central portion of the the hammer, and held therein by a pin, 01,which passes through a diagonal slot in the extractor, (indicated bydotted lines,) while the rear end of the extractor-spindle is fittedloosely to, and supportedin, an opening formed in thedownward-projecting rear end of the locking-piece E. A spring, H, ofcoiled wire is arranged around the spindle of the extractor, whichspring serves to raise the lockingpiece E up into place after it hasbeen pressed back. The recoil-block F is made double, or with two bearing-surfaces, F F, so that should the piece be discharged by any accidentbefore the locking-piece was up in proper position, or the locking-pieceshould by any means be caused to slip from the first bearing, F, therecoil would be borne by the lower bearing, F and the hammer therebyprevented from swinging back far enough to permit of the cartridge-shellbeing thrown out to the rear of the piece by such discharge. A roll, Fis arranged at the corner between the bearingsurfaces of therecoil-block to reduce the friction against the locking-piece as itpasses that position. The curves of thebearin g-surfaces of therecoil-block F and locking-piece E are such that the locking-piece Ewill have a firm and sure bearing against the block when placed atanyposition along said bearing-surface. Ihave found, by practice andexperiments, that the curvature of the face F upon the recoil-blockF isin many respects preferable, when described from the center (see dottedlines, Fig. 2,) somewhat below' and to the rear of the axis of thespindle c, and with a radius less than the distance from the center ofsaid spindle to the rear end of the locking-piece, the rear face of thelocking-piece, of course, being formed to correspond with the face F Byconstructing the curvature as above described the lockingpiece,practically, has a perfect bearing again st the face F all the way fromits lower edge as it moves up along the said face, and one upon which itis not liable to slip when the recoil takes place, while at the sametime there is sufficient play to allow it to move easily up thebearing-surface. The discharging-hammer G is made with a circular face,0 which, when the hammer is up against the barrel, fits into and closesthe aperture of the breech, thus rendering the escape of the gas lessliable, while the base of the cartridge is held more secure and firmatthe discharge than with an ordinary -faced hammer.

The cartridge is discharged by means of a small projection or point atthe center of the circular face. The locking-piece E and recoilblock Ffirmly resist all pressure applied to the face of the hammer 0; but bypressing back the thumb-piece which projects upward I the form shown inFig. 1, having dovetailed from the hinged portion of the locking-piece,the .rear end of the latter is swung downward, the parts being therebyunlocked, and, by further pressure, the hammer may be swung back tofull-cock the piece,(see Fig. 3.) When the locking-piece and hammer aremoved back the hook of the extractor G catches the rim of thecartridge-shell and withdraws it from the barrel for about one-half ofits length, after which the rear end of the locking-piece E, by itsfurther backward movement is caused to strike the lower end of anejector, K, pivoted at the side of the lock at k, the upper end of whichis thereby swung upward and backward, and the cartridge-shell is by theejector thrown out entirely from the piece; the parts being then inposition shown in Fig. 3. When the pres sure upon the thumb-piece I isremoved the trigger J catches into the rear notch and retains the hammerat its drawn-back position, or at full-cock, while the spring H raisesthe locking-piece sufficiently to free the ejector K, and the latter isimmediately thrown back to its former position, as shown in Fig. 2, bythe feather-springf. The new cartridge can then be inserted within thechamber of the barrel and the piece is ready to be discharged. When thehammer is let up against the cartridge the front end of the extractor Gis brought into contact with the rim of the cartridge, which pressesback the extractor, and the diagonal slot and pin d cause the extractorto move downward sufficiently to allow its hooked end to pass beneaththe rim of the cartridge, when the extractor again springs up to placeso as to catch the rim when next drawn back. The

.sight L is constructed so as to be also used as a hammer-guard, and ishinged to the top of the barrel in such a manner that it can be turnedforward, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and then used as a sight, or it maybe turned back, as seen in Fig. 1, so that its end rests between the endof the barrel A and the hammer G, thus preventing the latter from cominginto contact with and exploding the cartridge. The sight L may be madeso as to be held in any desired position by friction at its hinge, or anadjusting device may be combined with it for retaining it at the properelevation. The side plate M, which incloses the lock, is made ofprojections M M which are fitted to similarshaped recesses formed in theside of the barrel A and stock N, and with a suitable notch, M toembrace the angle of the barrel at its rear end, so that the plate Mserves as a support and brace to strengthen the piece at a positionwhich would otherwise be rendered weak, owing to the cavity required forcontaining the mechanism of the lock. The projections M M may be made ofother than dovetail form, provided the same result is produced. The sideplate is secured in position by screws, as indicated.

Having described my improvements in breech-loading fire-arms, what Iclaim therein as new, and of my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

l. The combination, with the rear of the locking-piece E, of the doublerecoil-block F, having two bearing-surfaces, F F substantially as andfor the purposes set forth;

-2. The combination, with the locking-piece E, hammer O, and barrel A,of the cartridge shell extractor G, the rear part or end of which isfitted loosely in the lower part of the rear end of the locking-piece,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with the extractor'G, the rear end of which isfitted loosely in the locking-piece E, provided with the oblongopeningor slot near its forward end, of pin (1, which passes through saidopening, as and for the purposes shown and described.

4. The combination, with the locking-piece E, breech-block (J, andextractor G, of the ejector K, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combined hammer guard and sight L, substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. The combination, with the recoil-block F and locking-piece E, of therelieving-roll F substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7 The combination, with the barrel A and stock N, of the lock-plate M,provided with dovetailed projections M M substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

JAMES M. WHITTEMORE.

Witnesses:

P. F. SANBORN, SELDEN OoNNoR.

